Virginia

Senator flags Virginia governor race as “bellwether” for Trump admin

Published

1 year ago

February 2, 2025

Senator flags Virginia governor race as “bellwether” for Trump admin

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said on Sunday that his state’s gubernatorial race this fall will be the first “bellwether” test for the new Trump administration and a measure of a “Democratic comeback.”

Newsweek has reached out to the communications teams at the Democratic and Republican national committees for comment via email on Sunday.

Why It Matters

Virginia and New Jersey are the only states holding gubernatorial races this year and will be the first two major state elections held after President Donald Trump’s second term.

Virginia’s election may be seen as a “bellwether,” signaling political trends and voter sentiment. For Republicans, the elections will be a test of whether they can retain some of the voters they won back in 2024. Meanwhile, it will also be a key gauge for Democrats’ messaging as they seek to regain ground over the next few years.

What To Know

On Sunday, Kaine told CNN’s State of the Union co-host Jake Tapper that Virginia’s upcoming gubernatorial race “will be the first bellwether test of a Democratic comeback and I’m feeling really, really good about that right now.”

His comments came after Tapper asked Kaine about the state of the Democratic Party and politics in Kaine’s home state, to which the senator said: “In Virginia, we have gone from one of the most ruby red states in the country to now having put electoral votes behind Democrats five elections in a row. I just won my reelection by a sizable margin against Donald Trump’s handpicked Republican opponent.” Kaine won a third term last November, beating out Trump-endorsed challenger Hung Cao.

Virginia’s gubernatorial elections tend to sway based on the party in the White House, with Democrats typically winning when a Republican is in office. Republican Glenn Youngkin became governor in 2021 under President Joe Biden, and Democrat Ralph Northam won during Trump’s first presidency.

Kaine said on Sunday that Youngkin won the race “by 1.8 percent—the last two Republicans that won the governorship in Virginia won by comfortable double digits. Our governor is Republican, he ran during a very good year to be a Republican, and he won barely.”

Republican governors Bob McDonnell and Jim Gilmore won their respective races by over 17 percent margin and 13 percent margin.

Youngkin is term limited at the end of the year, so the race will be an open contest that could serve as a test of sentiment towards Trump and the Democratic Party. On Saturday, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) elected Ken Martin as its new chairperson.

Kaine, who served as Hillary Clinton’s running mate against Trump in the 2016 presidential election, said that he feels “really good about our chances” in the gubernatorial race, adding that “we just took both houses of the state legislature, we’ve got a great candidate for governor.” The Virginia State House and Senate are both controlled by slim Democratic majorities.

Who Are Virginia’s Gubernatorial Candidates?

While the party primaries on June 17 will determine the nominees, each party appears to have an early favorite: former Democratic U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. If either of them wins, they would become the state’s first female governor.

An Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of 1,000 registered Virginia voters conducted from January 6 to 8 found Spanberger edging 1 percentage point ahead of Earle-Sears, 42 to 41 percent. The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, found 13 percent of voters were undecided and 4 percent were supporting someone else.

Newsweek reached out to Spanberger and Earle-Sears for comment via email on Sunday.

Currently, no other Democrats have publicly announced their campaigns, though Representative Bobby Scott has not ruled out a run, The Virginia Pilot reported in January. Former gubernatorial candidate Merle Rutledge is also running in the GOP primary, but Earle-Sears is viewed as the party’s frontrunner.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, is seen during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on January 23. Inset: President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on…

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci

What People Are Saying

John Feehery, partner at EFB Advocacy, previously told Newsweek in an email: “Virginia is going to be tough because it is really a blue state despite its purple state veneer, more so because Trump wants to dramatically reduce the government workforce…So I don’t think Republicans are going to do that well, but if they do, it means we had a true realignment election in 2024.”

Kevin Madden, a senior partner at Penta Group, told Newsweek in December: “Both the New Jersey and Virginia contests offer the Democrats a chance to reset their message as they look to rebuild their political coalition.”

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in part last month: “Ten months before the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, the race is tight overall but with clear demographic differences standing out.”

What Happens Next

The deadlocked race will be determined on November 4, 2025.

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Virginia

How to buy Virginia vs. TCU women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

Published

4 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

How to buy Virginia vs. TCU women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

The Virginia Cavaliers continue to thrill as they’re moving on to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament!

UVA is the first double-digit seed to make the Sweet 16 in the women’s bracket since 2022, and it’s the Cavaliers’ first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2000.

After a fourth quarter surge to push overtime, the No. 10 Cavaliers took over in double overtime, stunning No. 2 Iowa with a 83-75 win. It was a group effort on the floor, but the Cavs were led by Kymora Johnson with 28 points.

SHOP: Virginia women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

After advancing to the Sweet 16, the Cavaliers will face No. 3 TCU in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday, March 28.

Knowing that matchup is set, here is everything you need to know to buy Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 March Madness tickets.

Shop Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 tickets

Virginia vs. TCU March Madness Sweet 16 tickets

Virginia women’s March Madness Sweet 16 opponent

Virginia reached the Sweet 16 after upsetting No. 2 Iowa on Monday afternoon. Now, they’ll play No. 3 TCU in the Sweet 16.

Virginia vs. TCU women’s March Madness Sweet 16 schedule

Virginia will take on the TCU Horned Frogs after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday afternoon. The game will be played on either Friday, March 27 or Saturday, March 28. Shop Virginia vs. TCU Sweet 16 tickets now.

More March Madness: Everything fans need to know about the 2026 NCAA Tournament

Virginia vs. TCU women’s basketball Sweet 16 tickets

Limited UVA vs. TCU women’s Sweet 16 tickets are still available. Get your Virginia vs. TCU March Madness Sweet 16 tickets now starting at $39.

Shop UVA Sweet 16 tickets

UVA women’s basketball Sweet 16 game locations

Virginia will play its Sweet 16 game at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., against TCU on Saturday, March 28. Shop your Virginia NCAA Tournament tickets now.

When is March Madness 2026?

The First Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament tipped off the 2026 March Madness tournament on Wednesday, March 18. The two rounds run between Friday, March 20 and Monday, March 23. The tournament concludes with the Final Four on Friday, April 3 and the National Championship game on Sunday, April 5.

Shop ALL March Madness tickets

March Madness 2026 full schedule for the women’s tournament

March 20-21: First round
March 22-23: Second round
March 27-28: Sweet 16
March 29-30: Elite 8
April 3: Final Four
April 5: National Championship

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Virginia

How Tennessee used regular season blunders to fuel March Madness win vs Virginia

Published

16 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

How Tennessee used regular season blunders to fuel March Madness win vs Virginia

PHILADELPHIA − Maybe all those blown leads in the regular season were good for Tennessee basketball?

While it didn’t surrender a double-digit big lead, Tennessee fans certainly felt pangs of anxiety when Virginia pulled ahead late at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

This time, though, instead of collapsing, the No. 6 Vols (24-11) banded together and pulled off the 79-72 victory over No. 3 Virginia (30-6) in the Men’s NCAA Tournament on March 22.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes guided the program to its fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. The road gets tougher for the Vols against No. 2 Iowa State (29-7) at the United Center in Chicago on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).

How did Tennessee avoid a meltdown? Well, Barnes isn’t really sure.

He just knows they won.

“We found a way,” he said. “We found a way to get it done. These guys, they’ve worked hard for us all year and worked hard competing against each other every day.”

Tennessee believe it needed regular season heartbreak

Tennessee largely bottled up Virginia’s leading scorer Thijs De Ridder through much of the game. However, the 23-year-old freshman from Belgium found his rhythm late in the game and drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 71-70 lead with 2:03 remaining.

In the huddle, Tennessee sophomore guard Bishop Boswell knew they’d be fine. He cited increased “poise” gained from months of SEC trials.

“We have been in these situations time in and time out, and I’ve seen us come out on top, so I know how tough we are,” he said. “Being in those situations helps you for times like this. The SEC is so tough, its such a tough league, you’re going to be in a bunch of close games. We were able to come out with some wins, and we were able to come out with some losses that we were able to learn from.

“We’ve been battled-tested.”

Forward J.P. Estrella believes those tests were necessary.

“I don’t think so,” he said if Tennessee would’ve won this game a month ago. “I feel like these past couple months have been huge for us playing some tough games, playing in the SEC Tournament, playing the game the other night. These games are crucial for us. When we keep playing basketball with each other it builds confidence and we keep winning.

“The momentum keeps going and I feel like it’s going to keep on rolling into Chicago.”

Tennessee’s defense papers over late mistakes

The Vols were anything but mistake-free in the closing minutes of the game.

Freshman Nate Ament ran the baseline after a missed shot. Senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie threw an inbounds pass into the second row. A defensive breakdown left Virginia’s Jacari White wide-open for a 3-pointer with seconds remaining.

It was the defense, though, that kept Tennessee afloat. The Vols kept one of the ACC’s top offenses under its 80.4 points per game average. Their frontcourt physicality bothered Virginia all game.

“I thought we played great,” Estrella said about Tennessee’s frontcourt. “We’re all just some dogs on offense and defense. We got stops when we needed them. I feel like we could’ve gotten a couple rebounds − me in particular, I could’ve grabbed a couple with two hands − but other than that, we were just some dogs tonight and I feel like we need to be that every single night.”

The Cavaliers had 26 points in the paint, but they shot under 50% on layups. Tennessee 6-foot-11 center Felix Okpara registered four blocks and often deterred Virginia players from entering his domain.

“Felix Okpara, that’s the best five-man in the country,” junior Jaylen Carey said about his teammate. “Best shot blocker in the country.”

Okpara credited the entire frontcourt for the standout defensive performance.

“That’s our identity right there,” he said. “That’s Tennessee basketball right there.”

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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Virginia

Obituary for Virginia (Haines) James | Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Obituary for Virginia (Haines) James | Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home

Virginia Haines James, age 85, of Vidalia, who’s sunrise was October 13, 1940 and sunset was Friday, March 20, 2026, at Appling Healthcare in Baxley after an extended illness. She as a native of Montgomery County, growing up in Mt. Vernon and was a 1958 graduate of Montgomery County High School. She married her married her husband in 1958, he was in the Army, and as a military family they lived in several places, including Okinawa, Japan, France, and Germany. Upon his retirement, they moved to Vidalia where she lived the rest of her life. She joined the Mt. Vernon Methodist Church on December 14, 1951 and later was a member of the First Baptist Church of Vidalia and where she sang in the choir. She was Bethany Home Administrator for more than twenty years. She enjoyed sewing, the outdoors, yard work, gospel music, singing, collecting ladybugs, genealogy, and traveling to cemeteries all over south Georgia. She loved buying Bibles and giving them to her family and friends.

She is preceded in death by the love of her life, Roscoe James; parents, William Elijah Haines and Mary Elizabeth Byrd Haines; one brother, William Haines; and two sisters, Sarah Haines Bishop and Ann Haines.

She is survived by two children, Roscoe David James and wife Lorie of Baxley, and Virginia Beth James Smith of Wilmington Island; four grandchildren, Jessica James and Drew James of the Center Community, Levi James (USN) of Charleston, South Carolina, and Connor Smith and wife Hannah of Rincon; one brother, James “Jimmy” Haines and wife Daisy of Treutlen County; one sister, Naomi Jean Haines Duckworth and husband Bruce of Mt. Vernon; and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, at 3:00 in the chapel of Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home with her nephew, Pastor Daniel Caraway officiating. Interment will follow at the Long Pond Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday afternoon from 2:00 until just prior to the service.

Flowers are accepted, or those desiring can help continue her legacy by donating to The Gideons International, PO Box 156, Vidalia, GA 30475.

The family would like to express their appreciation and gratitude to the nurses and staff of Appling Nursing and Rehab Pavilion for their loving care and support.

Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home of Vidalia is in charge of arrangements.

To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Virginia (Haines) James, please visit our floral store.

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